Chief Executive Officer

This is a hands-on leadership role with genuine scope to shape Forest Recycling Project's (FRP's) future. The new Chief Executive will inherit an organisation with nearly four decades of experience, established trading activity, funded programmes, committed staff and volunteers, and a strong reputation within its local community.

The opportunity is to bring those strengths together and help FRP realise more of its potential.

We want someone who can lead the organisation effectively today while also looking ahead: strengthening existing commercial activities, identifying new sources of income, building partnerships and finding new ways for FRP to extend its reach and impact.

This is a role for someone comfortable moving between strategy and delivery. You might be developing a new commercial opportunity, supporting a manager, reviewing financial performance, meeting a potential partner or working with trustees on FRP's longer-term direction.

For the right person, it offers significant influence over the next chapter of an established organisation with a clear social and environmental purpose.

What We Need You to Achieve:

1. Lead FRP well

Provide clear, supportive and ambitious leadership to FRP's staff and volunteers.

Create an inclusive and effective culture in which people understand what is expected of them, managers
are supported to lead their areas well and volunteers remain central to FRP's work.

Ensure the organisation operates effectively day to day, with appropriate systems, processes, policies and safeguards in place.

Provide direct support and oversight to the Community Projects and Retail Managers and help the wider team work effectively together.

2. Build a more financially sustainable FRP

A key priority for the incoming Chief Executive will be strengthening FRP's long-term financial resilience.

Work with the team and Board to grow commercial and trading income, improve the performance of existing activities and identify opportunities for new services, partnerships and revenue streams.

Support the development of future grant funding and other sources of income, ensuring FRP maintains a healthy and diverse funding base.

Manage budgeting and financial performance, using financial information to help the organisation make
good decisions about priorities, investment and use of resources.

3. Increase our impact

Ensure FRP's activities deliver meaningful environmental and social outcomes.

Oversee major grant-funded programmes, including The National Lottery Green Champions programme.

Look beyond existing activity and identify opportunities to make greater use of FRP's experience, assets, reputation and relationships. We want the new Chief Executive to help us ask not only how we can deliver our current work well, but what else FRP could become.

4. Shape FRP's future

Work closely with the Board and team to develop FRP's strategy and turn it into clear priorities, plans and measurable objectives.

Build strong relationships with customers, funders, community organisations, local partners and other stakeholders who can help FRP achieve its ambitions.

Represent FRP externally and strengthen its profile and influence.

Support the Board in fulfilling its governance responsibilities through clear reporting on organisational performance, finances and risk, while maintaining an effective relationship between trustees and the staff team.

Who We're Looking For

There is no single career path into this role. You may have developed your experience in a charity, social enterprise, community organisation, environmentally focused business or elsewhere.

What matters most is having the breadth of skills and judgement to lead a small organisation, alongside the ambition and practical ability to help it grow.

We are looking for someone with:
Significant senior leadership experience and responsibility for delivering organisational goals.
Strong commercial and entrepreneurial instincts, with experience of developing income, services, projects or new opportunities.
The ability to translate strategy into practical plans and measurable results.
Experience of financial and budget management and confidence using financial information to make decisions.
Experience of managing, supporting and developing people.
A strong track record of building productive external partnerships and relationships.
Experience of navigating change and helping organisations or teams develop.
Excellent communication, influencing and organisational skills.
The ability to combine strategic leadership with a willingness to get involved where needed.

Experience of grant funding, volunteers, charities, social enterprises, community organisations or environmental work would be valuable. Experience of working with a Board of Trustees would also be useful, but is not essential.

Above all, you will share FRP's commitment to environmental sustainability, social inclusion and creating tangible benefit for the communities we serve.

Reports to: Board of Trustees

Line management: Community Programmes Manager, Retail & Paint Operations Manager

Location: Bakers Avenue, Walthamstow E17, with some time at our Leytonstone warehouse

About FRP:

Forest Recycling Project (FRP) is a social enterprise and charity that has worked with communities across London since 1989 to reduce waste, encourage reuse and recycling, and help people live more sustainably.

Our work brings together community programmes, volunteering and commercial activity. Around 40% of our income comes from trading, with the remainder primarily from grants supporting our community work.

We have strong local roots, established programmes, an experienced team and grant funding secured for some years ahead.

Our next ambition is to build on those foundations: growing trading income, strengthening our financial resilience and increasing the environmental and social impact we are able to achieve.

We are looking for a Chief Executive with the breadth of experience, ambition and entrepreneurial mindset to help take FRP to the next level.